Warriors: Storm and Flood

Chapter Five

"You haven't told anyone about us meeting?" Puddlepaw asked as she hopped over a tiny stream. "Not even your sister?"

Of course not! She's prickly already. I don't want her telling the whole clan! "No," Thrushtail said simply, stepping over the stream after her. "She'd use my pelt to line her nest."

"Mapleleaf would kill me," Puddlepaw muttered, then her yellow eyes glittered with affection as she brushed her cheek against his. "It would be worth it though."

"Yeah," he mumbled and padded after her, keeping a close ear out. This wasn't exactly where he preferred to meet her, but there wasn't really anywhere else more convenient that was on either of their territories.

The young she-cat in front of him stopped and whirled around, then pounced on him, sending him rolling to the ground and into a clumb of ferns. Letting out a playful growl, he rolled over and trapped her under his belly. He heard her squeak with laughter as she rolled over to batter his belly with her paws, her claws sheathed. "Let me up you dumb furball!" She purred.

"Oh no," he shook his head and cuffed her ears softly. "A warrior never lets his opponent win!"

"I'm not a warrior!"

"But you're an opponent." Purring, Thrushtail let Puddlepaw rise to her paws. The she-cat shook out her pelt and let out a large yawn.

"I think it's time we returned to our nests," she mewed quietly. "I have to go to the Moonpool with Mapleleaf tomorrow. I don't want to be too tired."

Thrushtail's heart ached a bit at the thought of her leaving, but he understood. He leaned over and touched his nose to her muzzle. "Alright," he murmured softly, nudging her. "Go get some rest. And be careful going home."

"I always am," Puddlepaw purred, and with a flick of her tail, she crept off, heading back to Thunderclan territory. The forest was suddenly quiet without Puddlepaw's pleasant twittering. Thrushtail stared after her longingly, his heart pounding. Sneaking out is worth it. He thought to himself. After a moment, he decided it was time to head back to the Riverclan camp.

As he padded along the river, he noticed that everything had gone unusually quiet; he no longer heard the familiar croaking of the frogs or the gentle lapping of the water beside his paws. Suddenly, the whole forest went pitch black and a low thundering began to rattle, making the nonexistent ground tremble. What in Starclan is going on? Thrushtail thought frantically. He pressed himself as low as he could before he saw a soft, shimmering light begin to move toward him. As the light came closer, he saw that it was a cat whose pelt looked as though it were made of stars. His ears flattened and fear suddenly struck him. Am I dead?

"No, little one, you're very much alive," the cat spoke, her voice having a small lilt. "I'm only hear to give you a message."

"Wh-Who are you?" Thrushtail attempted to keep the tremble from his voice, but it obviously wasn't worth the effort.

"My name is Ashheart," the she-cat meowed gently, then sat down in front of him. "I've come to give you a warning, Thrushtail."

Surprise struck him as he stared at the Starclan warrior. "A warning? What do you mean?"

The air grew cold around them as Ashheart started to speak. "Thrushtail, you need to stop this deception," she murmured. "You know that the warrior code forbids you to have a mate in another clan. And if that's not bad enough, Puddlepaw is a medicine cat apprentice. She can't have a mate or kits with anyone." The starry she-cat's eyes suddenly were filled with sorrow. "I know what it's like to fall in love with a cat from another clan... Ferretpelt's father was a Windclan warrior named Dustthroat. But I had to keep this secret from my clan, and I had to take on a new mate, and I had to make him believe that Ferretpelt was his son. I love him dearly, and I regret my decision with every pawstep I make."